Media Center

Planning Board Approves Plan Amendment to Renovate and Expand North Four Corners Local Park

SILVER SPRING, MD—Today the Montgomery County Planning Board approved amending the existing facility plan for North Four Corners Local Park in Silver Spring to allow for renovation and modification of the park.

“Our purpose for this project has always been to provide the best park possible,” said Department of Parks Landscape Architect Heidi Sussmann.

Department of Parks staff presented three alternatives today to address the Planning Board’s December 6 direction to rotate the position of the proposed new athletic field at the park, reconfigure parking, provide additional buffers from field activity for some of the adjacent community and leave a portion of the new park area in its existing state. Today, parks staff recommended a modified alternative to its December 6 recommendation, which reduces the cost of the project by approximately $1.1 million.

The Planning Board approved amending the park’s existing facility plan to create a new rectangular soccer field adjacent to University Boulevard, remove an existing field located deeper within the park near neighborhood homes, and redesign paths, playground and landscaping. Parks staff was directed to combine elements of today’s recommendation with the December 6 recommendation, and implement the design and construction of the renovation and expansion of the park in a phased approach.

Although the Board cited the need for more soccer fields in the county, some community members providing testimony at today’s meeting expressed concern over the new athletic field planned for the park, questioning the suitability of North Four Corners Local Park as the site for a soccer field and pointing to the need for funding other parks priorities, such as historic and cultural resources, and questioning the maintenance and management of park fields to prevent overuse. One community member noted the distinction between local parks and neighborhood parks, pointing out that as a local park those who do not live in the neighborhood surrounding North Four Corners are stakeholders in the decisions about the park too and many in the broader area want soccer fields.

During today’s meeting, Sussmann further added about local parks: “Within the parks system, we have 132 developed local parks, 59 of which have one field, 56 have two fields and 14 have over three fields. Only three local parks in our system have no athletic fields and they’re sort of anomalies.”

With today’s Board action and direction, the approved plan will combine two recommendations, Alternative 2 and Alternative 2 Modified, into a final plan for the park. The park will include new pathways, pedestrian connections, seating plazas, streetscaping at University Boulevard, a new playground, many amenities, landscaping, drainage improvements, buffers from active field use, parking enhancements and a new larger athletic field to serve all ages.

The approved plan includes Alternative 2 Modified within the new 6-acre parcel fronting University Boulevard, and Alternative 2 within the existing 7.9-acre parcel; with the conditions that the proposed playground be relocated to the corner of the existing field space and that the expansion of the existing parking lot be a second phase of the park implementation.

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Contact:    
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

MEDIA ADVISORY: North Four Corners Local Park on Jan. 31 Planning Board Agenda

SILVER SPRING, MD—Thursday, January 31, the Montgomery County Planning Board will take back up the renovation and expansion of North Four Corners Local Park.

On December 6, the Planning Board heard Department of Parks staff recommendations for amending the existing facility plan from September 2005 for the Silver Spring park. After much discussion and consideration of the testimony provided, the Planning Board directed parks staff to develop a new alternative for the park which rotates the position of the proposed new athletic field, reconfigures parking at the park, provides additional buffers from field activity at the park for some of the adjacent community and leaves a portion of the new park area in its existing state. At Thursday’s meeting, parks staff will present three alternatives that address these objectives.

Public testimony on this item will be limited to one hour.

WHO:    
Montgomery County Planning Board
Montgomery County Department of Parks

WHAT:    
Facility Plan for Renovation and Expansion of North Four Corners Local Park

WHEN: 
Thursday, January 31, 2008 at approximately 9:00 am

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

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Contact:    
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Montgomery County Planning Board to Hear White Flint Plan Status as Part of January 31 Meeting

SILVER SPRING, MD – Continuing its plan to create lively centers along the MD 355/I-270 corridor, the Montgomery County Planning Board on Thursday will view staff’s initial recommendations for the White Flint Sector Plan, which will prescribe the land uses and other strategies to improve the community over the next 15 years.

Planners will brief the board on the major recommendations expected to be part of the staff draft plan,  including ways to stimulate redevelopment that brings more people closer to Metro’s Red Line, create a system of parks and open spaces, and encourage excellent design, including changes to Rockville Pike that make it more pedestrian-friendly.

 
The White Flint plan will go to the Planning Board late this spring. Learn more  about Thursday’s White Flint status report. 

A golf course improvements plan (Discussion of Amendments to Revenue Authority Master Plan concerning golf course improvements of Lake Needwood, Northwest Branch and Sligo Creek) originally scheduled for the January 31 meeting has been postponed at the request of the Montgomery County Revenue Authority (MCRA).

The Revenue Authority originally briefed the Planning Board in March 2007 on a master plan for integrating the park golf courses, owned by the Montgomery County Department of Parks, M-NCPPC and operated by MCRA, into a unified golf system for the county. MCRA was scheduled to share its revised proposal to the master plan on Thursday, but asked to postpone the discussion to continue to collect public input on the plan. A future date has yet to be determined.

WHO:
The Montgomery County Planning Board

WHAT:
Public hearing agenda items

WHEN:
Thursday, January 31

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring

Montgomery County Planning Board Approves New Vision for Twinbrook, I-270 Corridor

SILVER SPRING, MD – In keeping with Montgomery County’s General Plan that concentrates growth along major transportation routes, the Planning Board has recommended approval of two comprehensive projects that detail ways to revitalize Twinbrook and link the communities along I-270 that stretch from Bethesda to Clarksburg.

Early this week, the Planning Board will transmit the two projects – the Twinbrook Sector Plan and the MD 355/I-270 Corridor Study – to the County Council for consideration and potential approval.

The Twinbrook Sector Plan envisions new housing, retail and offices in a unified, walkable neighborhood located near Metro’s Red Line. One of the few communities in the county to contain light industrial businesses, Twinbrook would create an entrepreneurial area for existing and potential new companies and better integrate them with housing and retail.

When the plan is approved by the County Council and local officials enact zoning changes envisioned in the plan, Twinbrook will have the tools to take on a new look. As redevelopment progresses, the community will become more urban, with high-quality public spaces, pedestrian-friendly street crossings and trail connections to Metro, urban parks and other open spaces.

View the Planning Board’s version of the Twinbrook Sector Plan.

The MD 355/I-270 Corridor Study approved Thursday by the Planning Board looks more broadly at Montgomery County’s most-traveled corridor. The project identifies strategies to unify and improve the 27-mile swath connecting Bethesda to Clarksburg.

Through a coordinated approach, the Planning Board hopes community centers along its path – Bethesda, White Flint, Twinbrook, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Germantown and Clarksburg – will see new jobs and a mix of housing types thanks to their proximity to Metro’s Red Line or the proposed Corridor Cities Transitway rapid bus or light rail system. The study also emphasizes ways to promote environmental conservation as well as new arts and entertainment venues.

The study recommends clustering technology industries to attract experts, increasing mobility along the corridor by putting people closer to Metro, train, and interconnected bike trails, and improving the look of MD 355 (Rockville Pike).

The study sets the stage for master plans in progress for many of those communities. Each master plan forecasts approximately 15 years of land use and other improvements in a more detailed look at each community. 

View the corridor study.

MEDIA ADVISORY: Woodstock Equestrian Park Public Meeting Tonight

BEALLSVILLE, MD—The Department of Parks invites community participation in a public information meeting on the status of the development at Woodstock Equestrian Park.

WHO:    
Montgomery County Department of Parks

WHAT:    
Woodstock Equestrian Park Public Meeting

WHEN: 
Monday, January 28, 2008 at 7:00 pm

WHERE:
Owen’s Local Park Recreation Building
19900 Beallsville Road
Beallsville, Maryland

For more information and the meeting or the park project, please contact Department of Parks project managers Ellen Masciochhi at 301-650-2867 or Ellen.masciocchi@mncppc-mc.org or Linda Komes at 301-650-2860 or linda.komes@mncppc-mc.org.

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

MEDIA ADVISORY: Department of Parks Invites Ideas on Future of Northwest Branch Recreational Park During Public Meeting, February 7

SILVER SPRING, MD—The Montgomery County Department of Parks and the Eastern and Mid-County Recreation Advisory Boards will hold a public meeting about the development of a master plan for Northwest Branch Recreational Park. Topics for discussion at the meeting include: the potential for undeveloped areas north of Bonifant Road to provide a family destination area to complement the new future Trolley Museum; an update on the future Trolley Museum and Verizon Tower construction; potential future trail connections; and the plan schedule and future opportunities for community input.

The master plan is being crafted to provide a future vision for the undeveloped areas of Northwest Branch Recreational Park in coordination with the various current proposals in and near the park including, the Trolley Museum relocation, new Verizon Tower, ICC construction, the Rachel Carson Trail and other trail connections and the future athletic area near Llewellyn Fields. The major focus of the master plan is a family recreation area north of Bonifant Road that will complement the Trolley Museum and preserve areas for nature study and wildlife habitat. The Rachel Carson Trail will connect the park to the athletic area at Llewellyn Fields on the northern edge of the park and a connection to the ICC trail will also be studied.

WHO:    
Montgomery County Department of Parks
Mid-County and Eastern Recreation Advisory Boards

WHAT:   
Public Meeting on Northwest Branch Recreational Park Master Plan

WHEN: 
Thursday, February 7, 2008 at 7:00 pm

WHERE:
Good Hope Recreation Center
14715 Good Hope Road
Silver Spring, MD 20905   

For more contact Department of Parks Trail Planning Supervisor Tanya Schmieler at Tanya.Schmieler@mncppc-mc.org or 301-650-4392 and visit www.ParkPlanningandStewardship.org.

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner Takes Absence for Illness

SILVER SPRING, MD – Montgomery County Planning Board Commissioner Eugene “Gene” Lynch has taken a temporary leave of absence from the board to recover from an illness. The Montgomery County Council appointed Lynch to the five-member board in June.

“All of us on the board wish Gene a speedy recovery and look forward to his return,” said Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson.

In cases requiring an affirmative vote of the board – such as those regulating subdivision and development proposals – a tie vote would mean denial.

In addition to his part-time duties as commissioner, Lynch serves as president and chief executive officer of Smart Growth Investments, an at-risk equity developer.

 

Planning Board Decides on Legacy Open Space Nominations: 5 New Sites Join the Program

SILVER SPRING, MD—Yesterday the Montgomery County Planning Board took action on the Legacy Open Space nominations presented to them by Department of Parks program managers on November 15.

“The Legacy Open Space designation allows us to look at multiple avenues for protecting these special cases of extraordinary lands,” said Department of Parks Legacy Open Space Program Manager Brenda Sandberg. “In our recommendations to the Planning Board, we offer protection techniques which might include acquiring these sites for parkland, or pursuing easements or through the development process or partnerships.”

Department of Parks Legacy Open Space (LOS) program managers brought back 7 of the 9 total properties initially presented in November to the Planning Board yesterday, with modified recommendations based on the community input received on each. A summary of Thursday’s Board action for each of these properties follows:   

• Beverly Property, Broad Run Watershed (Poolesville), recommended for LOS designation—Parks staff revised its initial recommendation to include pursuing an overlay easement as an added protection technique to protect the property’s forested land.  The Board approved the staff’s revised recommendation.

• Wild Acres/Grosvenor Mansion (Bethesda), recommended for LOS designation—Parks staff revised its initial recommendation to clarify an emphasis on protecting the site through a new special exception use or development plan, but not to affect the currently approved special exception. The Board approved the staff’s revised recommendation.

• Hickey and Offut (Bethesda), recommended for LOS designation—Parks staff did not revise its initial recommendation. Protection of this site is an opportunity to increase the size of existing county and federal forested area associated with Rock Creek Park. The Board approved the staff’s recommendation.

• Ireland Drive/National Park Seminary Carriage Trails (Silver Spring), recommended for LOS designation—Parks staff revised its initial recommendation to include considering the option of an easement from the Army. Staff intends to bring this property back to the Planning Board as the department continues to work with the US Army on the transfer or easements associated with this property and the issue of funding for restoring and maintaining this resource. The Board approved the staff’s revised recommendation.

• Montgomery College of Art and Design (Wheaton), recommended for LOS designation—Parks staff did not revise its initial recommendation noting this site could be used for passive and active recreation. The Board rejected the staff’s recommendation.

• Selden Island/Walker Village Site (Poolesville), recommended for rejection by parks staff for LOS designation—Parks staff did not revise its initial recommendation suggesting instead to develop partnerships for archeological preservation. The Board rejected the staff’s recommendation and added the site to LOS, recommending staff pursue protective archaeological easements on the island.

• Edson Lane Forest (Bethesda), recommended for rejection by parks staff for LOS designation—Parks staff did not revise its initial recommendation noting the quality characteristics of the site were not there to warrant the designation. The Board approved the staff’s recommendation.

After yesterday’s Planning Board action, the Beverly Property, Wild Acres/Grosvenor Mansion, Hickey and Offut, Ireland Drive/National Park Seminary Carriage Trails and Selden Island/Walker Village Site join the Legacy Open Space program.

“Some of these decisions are tough,” added Sandberg. “For instance, the Edson Lane Forest property was a very difficult one; protecting urban forest anywhere you can is important, but Edson Lane just didn’t have that additional characteristic needed for Legacy designation, to kick it up to the ‘best of the best.’”

The other two properties initially recommended—the Milton Property and 4H Council Headquarters—were or will be heard at another time. The Planning Board approved LOS designation of the Milton Property on December 20 and the 4H Council Headquarters property will be heard separately at a future date.

For more on the Montgomery County Department of Parks’ Legacy Open Space Program, please visit www.ParkPlanningandStewardship.org.

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Scores of Takoma/Langley Residents Join Montgomery, Prince George’s Planning Boards to Discuss Plan to Shape their Community’s Future

SILVER SPRING, MD – More than 100 residents from the Langley Park area told the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission on Wednesday night that they are eager to participate in a process that will culminate with a plan that strengthens the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community.

The public meeting, held to kick off an 18-month study to unify and improve the Takoma/Langley area, drew a large crowd of residents, many of whom spoke about the need for the Commission to address issues like pedestrian safety, crime, access to information and job scarcity.

The Crossroads, extending in a roughly half-mile radius around University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, comes under the jurisdiction of both county Planning Boards. Meeting together as the full commission, the boards approved staff’s recommended goals for a sector plan, a 15-year vision that will set land uses and enhance the character of the community.

As part of the plan, the commission approved staff’s recommended strategies for encouraging broad community participation. Some of those strategies were on display Wednesday, as many in the audience received audio devices for simultaneous translation of the meeting, held at the Langley Park Community Center to involve the community as much as possible.

The Takoma/Langley Sector Plan comes at an opportune time, as the community is poised for major public projects that will change how people travel in the Crossroads. The Purple Line, a transit route slated to run from New Carrollton to Bethesda through Takoma/Langley, and the planned construction of a bus transit center by the Maryland Transit Administration will become major assets for a community where about half of the employed residents take public transportation.

The planned transit improvements provide a great opportunity for planners to shape development that emphasizes walking, bicycling and public transit use at the Crossroads. In the sector plan, staff will develop plans for outdoor gathering places, recreational opportunities, mixed residential and retail, and new jobs for the community’s multi-cultural population, which numbers about 29,000, many immigrating from Central America, South America, the Far East and West Africa.

Before there was Idol . . . There was Star Search! Parks Department Hosts First Ever Talent Search for Parks Show

SILVER SPRING, MD—For the first time ever, the Montgomery County Department of Parks is offering the chance for one lucky teen to be a ParkStar on The Parks Show—its award-winning 15-minute monthly television program on County Cable Montgomery.

“We are looking to offer one talented teenager—what we believe is—the coolest summer job opportunity around,” said The Parks Show Host Kelli Holsendolph. 

The Department of Parks is hosting two open auditions this spring to try-out teen talent, ages 14 through 17, for their chance to work on and host The Parks Show over the summer, June through August 2008.  One teen winner will spend a total of 12 days this summer writing, interviewing and hosting The Parks Show and working with the Department of Parks and the County Cable Montgomery office in all elements of television production. The winner can earn up to 100 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours—more than enough to meet the Montgomery County Public Schools graduation requirement—for their work on the show this summer.

“For teens who have considered a career in television,” said The Parks Show Producer Cathy Grubman, “this is a great opportunity.”

Eligible teens can come to either open audition:

- Saturday, March 29, 2008
Brookside Gardens Auditorium
1800 Glenallan Avenue
Wheaton, MD 20902   

- Saturday, April 5, 2008
Agricultural History Farm Park Activity Center
18400 Muncaster Road
Derwood, MD 20855      

Registration at both open auditions will begin promptly at 9:30 am and auditions will run from 10:00 am – 4:00 pm. Space is limited. The first 25 to register are guaranteed an audition.

“We’re going to try to see as many teens as we can during the time we have allotted, but we know it’s going to be a tight squeeze, so get there early,” added Grubman. “We will definitely audition the first 25 at both locations.” 

Potential ParkStar’s must bring completed and parent or guardian signed official contest entry forms with them to one of the auditions. Those wishing to audition must also review the contest rules and prize information and practice the audition script in advance. Entry forms, contest rules and prize information and the audition script are available online at www.ParkStarSearch.com.   

To choose the winner the Department of Parks and its invited guest judges will narrow down the field of prospects to at most 5 finalists after the last open audition. 

“Then, we’re turning it over to you,” added Holsendolph, “for an open online public voting period—for you to pick the ParkStar!”

The department will post audition videos of the top 5 finalists online for the open public voting period, May 1 through May 15, 2008, also at www.ParkStarSearch.com. The winner will be announced in June.

The Parks Show, now in its 18th year, features the parks, programs and activities in the Montgomery County, Maryland parks system. The show is a joint production of the Montgomery County Department of Parks, part of the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission and the Montgomery County Council. The show airs three times daily on County Cable Montgomery (Comcast and RCN Channel 6 and Verizon FiOS Channel 30) and a link to watch streaming online video of The Parks Show is available from www.MontgomeryParks.org.

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

MEDIA ADVISORY: Legacy Open Space Back to Planning Board January 17

SILVER SPRING, MD—Thursday, January 17, 2008 the Montgomery County Planning Board will take action on the Legacy Open Space nominations presented to them by Department of Parks staff November 15, 2007. The Board will also discuss the process by which properties are nominated for the Legacy Open Space program and the criteria and decision-making processes for including properties into the program.

In November, the Planning Board heard community views about a total of 9 properties evaluated for inclusion into the Legacy Open Space program. At that time, Parks Legacy Open Space program managers recommended 7 sites for inclusion into the program and recommended rejecting 2 other proposals. Since that public hearing, parks staff has reviewed community feedback and prepared modified recommendations based on this input for the Board’s consideration Thursday.

No additional public testimony on this item will be taken during the meeting. The Planning Board accepted written testimony on this matter through December 3.

WHO:    
Montgomery County Planning Board
Montgomery County Department of Parks

WHAT:   
Legacy Open Space Board Worksession and Action on Nominations

WHEN:
Thursday, January 17, 2008 at approximately 1:00 pm

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD

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Contact:   
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Montgomery Planning Board Recommends More U.S. Navy Analysis on Improvements for Bethesda Medical Center Expansion

SILVER SPRING, MD – On Thursday, the Montgomery County Planning Board recommended that the U.S. Navy, which plans to expand the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, perform a better analysis about the effects of its plan on surrounding roads, housing availability and other key impacts anticipated for the community. The expansion is part of the Navy’s Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative and will consolidate services from the closure of Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C.

Board members were unusually harsh in their criticism of the Navy’s draft environmental impact statement, to which commissioners were responding Thursday. They complained that the report, which was intended to examine the potential impact of the expansion, was vague and incomplete.

Specifically, the board asked for better information about housing needs for patients and visitors, saying the report did not specify the number of patient beds and the anticipated lodging needs of  patient visitors. The board asked to see a study of Bethesda housing stock, given that medical workers and patient families may relocate nearby.

The board also suggested that the Navy improve its analysis of the impact of the medical center expansion on roads both adjacent to the site as well as arteries used to get to and through Bethesda. As part of that, the board requested projects that would invite pedestrians and bicyclists to access to the center, such as sidewalks and a tunnel under Wisconsin Avenue linking to Metro’s Red Line, to alleviate traffic. 

The Navy should consider the road and sidewalk improvements and the proposed pedestrian tunnel as qualifying for federal defense funds, the board said, considering that the center expansion is proposed for an urban area – on Rockville Pike just south of the Beltway – that will be greatly impacted by the project.

“The transportation analysis ought to look at all alternatives to traveling by car,” said Board Chairman Royce Hanson. “We have a tendency to think about traffic based on today’s conditions, but that is going to change. With the federal government as the major employer here, we really need to provide leadership in changing transportation behavior.”

The board questioned whether the Navy had considered homeland security in its plan, given that the report covered routes that provide access to the center, but not exiting in times of emergency.

Partly in response to Bethesda residents who testified, the board also recommended that the Navy establish a community liaison to keep neighborhood associations apprised of the expansion project. It also asked that the construction conform to state and county forest conservation laws as well as green building principles.

The board will send its input to the County Council on January 15, and comments from all Montgomery County agencies will go to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is overseeing the expansion for the Navy, on January 28.
Currently, about 8,000 employees work at and some 435,000 people visit the medical center each year. Under the proposed increase, the Navy report predicts, visitors would increase by 484,000, placing new pressure on surrounding roads.

Registration Opens Today for Department of Parks Summer Camps

SILVER SPRING, MD— Registration for Montgomery County Department of Parks summer camps opens today, Thursday, January 10, 2008. 

The Department of Parks is offering more than 50 different summer camp options this year, through its nature facilities, ice skating rinks, tennis facilities and public gardens. There are also week-long options, including the department’s signature Week in the Park summer day camp and archaeology camps for both children and adults. 

Also new this year: a Camping Camp and Outdoor Adventure Camp at Little Bennett Regional Park, Tennis and Ice Skating Camp at Cabin John Regional Park and a camp the department calls, “Yesterday and Today on the Farm” at the Agricultural History Farm Park.

Parks officials will also take part in the in the 2008 Camp and Summer Programs Expo at White Flint Mall in Rockville on Saturday, January 26 from 10:00 am – 6:00 pm and Sunday, January 27 from 12:00 noon – 6:00 pm.  Parks summer camps managers will be on hand to answer questions and accept registrations.

To register or to view all the Department of Parks summer camps available this year, visit www.ParkPASS.org and for more on the White Flint Mall Expo click on Events at www.ShopWhiteFlint.com.

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Contact:    
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
301-650-2866

Rock Creek Stream Valley Park Added to Department of Parks' Deer Management Operations

ASPEN HILL, MD—As recommended in the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s fiscal year 2008 annual report and in response to overwhelming community support, the Montgomery County Department of Parks announces today that it will add Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7 as an additional park location for its active deer management operations.

“I am strongly in favor of the County taking steps to remove as many deer as possible,” wrote one supportive community member in response to the department’s request for public input to add Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7, in Aspen Hill between Route 28 and Viers Mill Road, into its deer management program.

Through November 1, 2007, this fall, the Department of Parks welcomed public input from park neighbors and other interested parties about whether the Rock Creek Stream Valley park site should officially join the ranks of active deer management operations. Overwhelmingly, the comments received for this addition to the program were supportive.

Another community member wrote, “I fully support the effort as described (including Rock Creek Stream Valley Park between Route 28 and Viers Mill Road).”

Twenty-five of the thirty written responses received by the Department of Parks on the Rock Creek Stream Valley park proposal emphatically supported the addition. Several community members cited fear of deer-vehicle collisions, damage to residential gardens and concerns about Lyme disease as primary reasons for expanding the operations to include this park site.

“I am VERY in favor of a deer management hunt in Rock Creek Park between Route 28 and Viers Mill Road,” as noted in one public response. “My wife will not drive on Old Baltimore Road at night because of the very likely possibility of getting run into (or running into) by deer crossing the road, especially during the rutting season.”

Public comments received also called for the department to consider including additional park sites into the operations even beyond the Rock Stream Valley park location proposed, such as Quince Orchard Park and Paint Branch Park.

For more than a decade, the Department of Parks has worked to control deer populations in select county parks through managed hunts and Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting operations. These operations are conducted carefully and with the utmost regard for protecting public safety. Private hunters conducting managed shotgun hunts for deer in county parks must meet the highest level of state and county safety standards in order to participate and the sharpshooting operations in the parks are conducted by expertly trained Park Police officers only.

With the addition of Rock Creek Stream Valley Park, seven Montgomery County parks will now have active Maryland-National Capital Park Police based sharpshooting programs to control deer. Now through March 31, 2008 from Sunset to Sunrise—at night when the parks are closed to the public—the following parks are closed to conduct these operations:

- Agricultural History Farm Park, Derwood
- Black Hill Regional Park, Boyds
- North Branch Stream Valley Park, Derwood
- Northwest Branch Park, Aspen Hill
- Rock Creek Regional Park, Rockville
- Wheaton Regional Park, Wheaton
- Rock Creek Stream Valley Unit #7, Aspen Hill

For more on the Department of Parks deer management program, including the Montgomery County Deer Management Work Group’s annual report and the public comments received on the Rock Creek Stream Valley park proposal, visit www.mc-mncppc.org/environment/deer.

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Contact:
Kelli Holsendolph
Media Relations Manager
Montgomery County Department of Parks
(301) 650-2866

Montgomery Planning Board January 10 Meeting Highlights

SILVER SPRING, MD – Among the items scheduled to be heard by the Montgomery County Planning Board on January 10 are:

• a review of the planned expansion of the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda

• a proposed transfer of parkland to the State Highway Administration for the Intercounty Connector (ICC)

• a potential historic preservation designation for a building in downtown Silver Spring.

The U.S. Navy, which plans to expand the National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda as part of its Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) initiative, has drafted an environmental impact statement examining the potential impacts of the expansion. After reviewing that report, planning staff  have asked the board to recommend that the Navy proceed with the smaller of two alternatives: 1.2 million square feet of new construction and renovating 423,000 square feet of existing buildings.

The National Naval Medical Center, founded in 1940, is located on Rockville Pike just south of the Beltway. Planners have recommended that the board continue to review Naval Medical Center expansion plans as part of its mandatory referral process, which allows the board to provide input on traffic, environmental, historic and other improvements to ensure the public project is compatible with its surroundings. One concern is the effect of the medical center’s expansion on traffic in the area of Rockville Pike, Connecticut Avenue and Old Georgetown Road. The BRAC issue is tentatively scheduled to be heard at 1 p.m.

The board will brief the County Council on its recommendations on January 15. Comments from all Montgomery County agencies will ultimately go to the National Capital Planning Commission, which is overseeing the expansion.

In other business on Thursday, the board will consider a proposed transfer of .15 acre in the path of the ICC in Cross Creek Club local park off Briggs Chaney Road in eastern Montgomery County to the State Highway Administration (SHA). The proposed property transfer, which would be the fourth approved by the board, is part of a program that returns to Montgomery County eight times as much parkland – 776 acres – that it conveys to the state. The parkland issue is tentatively scheduled to be heard at 4 p.m.

On Thursday evening, at approximately 7:30 p.m. the board will take testimony on whether a Silver Spring building, which is proposed to be demolished to make way for a new building with stores, offices and 106 living units, should be designated on the Master Plan for Historic Preservation. The board will consider whether the Perpetual Building at 8700 Georgia Avenue meets the criteria for historic designation. Thursday will be a public hearing only. A board work session on the item and vote will be scheduled for a future meeting.

Nineteen individuals have signed up to testify about the proposal; others may sign up before Thursday or during the hearing.

WHO:
The Montgomery County Planning Board

WHAT:
Public hearing agenda items

WHEN:
Thursday, January 10, 2008

WHERE:
Park and Planning Headquarters
8787 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring

Planning Board Chairman to Detail Proposed Changes to County Forest Conservation Law at Thursday Forum

SILVER SPRING, MD – On Thursday, January 10 at approximately 7 p.m., Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson will join a panel of county officials and environmental and building advocates to discuss pending changes to the Forest Conservation Law, which regulates how much forest is protected when a landowner plans to build.

Hanson will join County Councilman Marc Elrich and representatives from the environmental and business communities at a League of Women Voters forum about forest conservation at the County Council office building in Rockville. The council will consider changes to the existing Forest Conservation Law starting with a public hearing on January 22.

The Planning Board drafted a new law last fall that would require that more forest be saved when land is developed, increasing the percentage of forest that must be saved over the existing law by at least 5 percent. The board’s recommended changes would require better care for newly planted forests by extending the period for which they are maintained. The new requirements would apply to property owners proposing to build on lots measuring 40,000 square feet or greater.

Hanson will outline the board’s approach, which he describes as marrying conservation with common sense. The board’s recommendations affect approximately 12 percent of the lots in Montgomery County, given the 40,000-acre threshold that triggers the law. By contrast, other versions of the law that reduce the applicable lot size could affect up to 50 percent of county properties.

WHO:
Planning Board Chairman Royce Hanson

WHAT:
League of Women Voters Forest Conservation Forum

WHEN:
7 p.m. Thursday, January 10 

WHERE:
County Council Office Building, 7th floor
100 Maryland Ave.
Rockville, MD 20850

Montgomery, Prince George's Planning Boards to Kick off Joint Plan to Shape Future of Takoma/Langley Crossroads

SILVER SPRING, MD – On Wednesday, January 16 at approximately 7 p.m., the Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission will launch a process that will culminate with a plan that strengthens the Takoma/Langley Crossroads community as public transit projects transform how people get to and through the area.

The Crossroads, extending in a roughly half-mile radius around University Boulevard and New Hampshire Avenue in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties, comes under the jurisdiction of both county Planning Boards. Meeting together as the full commission, the boards will evaluate staff’s recommended goals for a sector plan, a 15-year vision that will prescribe the land uses and enhance the character of the community. The commission also will discuss staff’s recommended strategies for encouraging broad community participation.

 
The commission decided to hold the January 16 meeting at the Langley Park Community Center to involve the community as much as possible. Interested residents and those working in the community are encouraged to attend and comment on the staff’s draft Goals and Outreach Strategy report. (Spanish interpreters will be provided.)

 
The City of Takoma Park, which is collaborating with county planners on the Crossroads project, will preview the recommendations in the draft report at a City Council meeting on Monday, January 7 at Takoma Park City Hall.

 
The Takoma/Langley Sector Plan comes at an opportune time, as the community is poised for major public projects that will change how people travel in the Crossroads. The Purple Line, a transit route slated to run from New Carrollton to Bethesda through Takoma/Langley, and the planned construction of a bus transit center by the Maryland Transit Administration will become major assets for a community where about half of the employed residents take public transportation.

 
The planned transit improvements provide a great opportunity for planners to shape development that emphasizes walking, bicycling and public transit use at the Crossroads. In the sector plan, staff will develop plans for outdoor gathering places, recreational opportunities, mixed residential and retail, and new jobs for the community’s multi-cultural population, which numbers about 29,000, many immigrating from Central America, South America, the Far East and West Africa.

 
WHO:
The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission (Montgomery and Prince George’s  Planning Boards)

 
WHAT:
Takoma/Langley Crossroads Sector Plan kick-off

 
WHEN:
Wednesday, January 16 – approximately 7 p.m.  

 
WHERE:
Langley Park Community Center
1500 Merrimac Drive
Langley Park, Md.